Tags: Society

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Kudos, March 2023

Career excellence from our colleagues, students, and alumni decorate our March kudos with accomplishments, a world premiere, and awards for distinction. Among the recent awards news:   Yadira Castillo, academic advisor for the Microbiology Dept. and in Biology, is the recipient of the 2023 UGA Outstanding Academic Advisor Award and will now go forward as UGA’s nominee for the national NACADA Outstanding Academic Advisor Award Kestrina…

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Listening as reading

Jamie Kreiner, professor of history and associate dean in the Franklin College, describes in her new book, “The Wandering Mind,” how monks of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages (around A.D. 300 to 900) struggled with focusing their attention. The highly-acclaimed book has just been introduced in an audio format, which brings the author and her subject full circle. Kreiner relates the experience in this Q & A.   Alan…

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English faculty member receives UGA Award for Excellence in Teaching

Nancee Reeves, senior lecturer in the department of English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has received the 2023 University of Georgia Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was established in 2021 based on a recommendation from the UGA Teaching Academy. It recognizes teaching faculty who exemplify the university’s teaching mission by offering outstanding instruction, promoting innovation and providing an engaging environment…

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What a preprint is – and why that matters

New research from the University of Georgia suggests most people don’t understand the difference between a preprint and a published academic journal article. Preprints are research papers that haven’t undergone peer review, the process by which studies’ findings are validated by experts who weren’t involved with the research themselves. The study found the majority of readers have little to no understanding of what a preprint…

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The benefits of protective parenting

Being a protective parent could set your kids up for a healthier life as an adult, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The study found that growing up in places where gunshots are common and heat and electricity are unreliable can lead to pain and other physical health limitations in adulthood. But being involved in your child’s life, such as knowing their friends or where they’re hanging out after school,…

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On science fiction & Afrofuturism: Q&A with Isiah Lavender III

For Isiah Lavender III, science fiction isn’t just a passing interest or favorite genre. The Sterling Goodman Professor of English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences says science fiction is a storytelling device that can capture the human experience on an otherworldly level. In this Q&A, he goes over his earliest memory of “Star Wars,” the history of science fiction and Afrofuturism, and his latest book on intersectional…

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Kudos, February 2023

Even the shortest month has been replete with accolades and awards across UGA and the Franklin College. A few of the colleagues, alumni, and campus organizations we congratulated during February: UGA senior vice provost Michelle Garfield Cook named vice president for student affairs – UGA Today, WGAU, Athens CEO   Christine Szymanski, professor and associate head of the department of microbiology, is one of three…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2023

A climate change summit with Vice President Kamala Harris, the impossible quest of fake meat, and using machine learning to find new exoplanets are just a few of the many stories where our faculty colleagues lead, explain, and advise in media around the world. A sample of distinguished research and time comment from February:   In Atlanta, VP Harris focuses on climate, finding solutions – event co-moderated by Georgia Athletic Association…

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New book provides scholarship on mountainscapes

Fausto Sarmiento, professor of geography in the Franklin College and director of the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory, continues his excellent work on the broad subject of Montology with the publication of a new book. With the ecological acceleration and the indigenous revival trend of the present, the need for critical views of the reality of mountain systems has become evident in academic circles, such as the Commission of Mountain Studies…

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Three professors elected into National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has selected three University of Georgia faculty as 2023 NAI Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are faculty, scientists and administrators selected for their proven ability to invent and innovate. The UGA representatives of the 2023 class are Christine Szymanski, Hitesh Handa and Leidong Mao. With their selections, UGA now has 11 Senior Members overall: Szymanski is a professor, associate head of…

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How active learning affects STEM students with learning disabilities

Active learning is an instructional approach that involves engaging students with the learning process through group work, case studies, class discussions and other methods. This type of approach places a greater degree of responsibility on the learner. Students with disabilities may have unique experiences in active-learning STEM courses because most active-learning practices were designed with limited input from students with disabilities.…

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Franklin students, alumni lead UGA as top producer of Fulbright students

For the fifth time in 11 years the University of Georgia has been named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students, a recognition given by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to the U.S. institutions that received the highest number of Fulbright offers. Eleven UGA students and alumni were offered Fulbright awards for 2022-2023, with 10 students able to accept. Seven are teaching English in countries…

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Cook named vice president for student affairs

Congratulations to our Franklin College colleague Michelle Garfield Cook, who was named today as UGA’s next vice president for student affairs. Cook is a veteran UGA leader and student advocate who has introduced numerous institution-wide initiatives benefitting students. She will succeed Victor K. Wilson, who is retiring from the university on September 30. Wonderful news for our students and for the university: As senior vice provost…

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Coding for the future

UGA student Aniyah Norman advocates for others in tech while carving out her own spot When she applied to the University of Georgia, Aniyah Norman had one goal in mind: to leave her footprint on the campus in the arena of technology and innovation. Now entering her final semester, Norman can finally say that she has accomplished exactly that. Growing up in Gainesville, Georgia, she was always drawn to STEM fields. She even tutored other…

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Simons, Ma, Hermanowicz elected as AAAS Fellows

Five University of Georgia faculty – three from the Franklin College – have been named new Fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total representation on this prestigious list to 42. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council for extraordinary achievements leading to the advancement of science. This year, UGA’s new Fellows, representing four disciplines, are Joseph Hermanowicz, Ping…

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Alumna gifts largest graphic design endowment in the School of Art's history

University of Georgia alumna Kelly Layton made a significant investment in the future of the program that gave her her start with a $500,000 gift to create the Layton Graphic Design Endowment. “Georgia has a great graphic design program, and more people need to know about it,” said Layton. “If you want to pursue art, UGA presents such a great opportunity: a quality program, a rich campus community and a well-rounded, liberal-arts education.” The…

Keith campbell
Mysteries of the Mind

Researchers in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences explore why humans do what we do—and how we can change. psy•chol•o•gy  (noun) The scientific study of the human mind and behavior The Greatest Disorder Ever Keith Campbell | Professor of Psychology One of the most popular majors at the University of Georgia, psychology offers students a broad, science-based education that can be useful in various fields. And it’s just really…

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Noted and Quoted, January 2023

Starting the new year strong with media across the globe featuring Franklin College faculty expertise, research and new books. From resolutions to bot-generated text to tornados, our faculty colleagues have it covered. A sample from over the recent month:   What monks can teach us about paying attention – new book by professor of history and associate dean Jamie Kreiner reviewed and featured widely in The New Yorker, New York…

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Kudos, January 2023

Fellowships and awards, new books and a college football National Championship has 2023 off to a great start for UGA and the Franklin College. Congratulations to all – because it takes everyone to create the new standard of excellence in athletics and academics. The latest accomplishments among our colleagues include: The American Association of Geographers (AAG) honored professor of geography Nik Heynen as a 2023 AAG Fellow, one of 16…

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HHMI grant will help UGA advance evaluation of teaching

A research team from the University of Georgia will join 103 institutions from across the country to form a collaborative learning community that seeks to foster inclusive undergraduate science education. Funded by a six-year, $493,065 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Inclusive Excellence 3 (IE3) initiative, the UGA team will focus on three areas of effective and inclusive teaching including changes in policy,…

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Athenaeum presents first Kara Walker solo exhibition in Georgia

The Athenaeum presents Kara Walker: Back of Hand, the first solo exhibition to be held in Georgia of the work of this internationally renowned artist. The exhibition displays a series of new works on paper by Kara Walker that examine themes such as complicity, racism, misremembered histories, and the violence that undergirds the legacy of the South. Walker moved to Stone Mountain from Stockton, CA when she was 13 and attended…

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Back-to-back National Champions

Congratulations to the 2023 National Champion Georgia Bulldogs! Celebrating the new standard of excellence in academics and athletics: The No. 1 Bulldogs (15-0) never trailed and were rarely tested by the No. 3 Horned Frogs (13-2), a team that came into the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as a compelling underdog. But the only thing compelling about the evening was Georgia’s quick-strike excitement and brutal efficiency on both…

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2022 in Review – Welcome 2023!

Numerous achievements throughout 2022 for the Franklin College and the University of Georgia – shining on the field, in the classroom and beyond. From celebrating a National Championship in January to a Rhodes Scholar in November, 2022 was truly a year to remember. Thank you to our students, faculty, and staff for making 2022 such a memorable year. To commemorate 2022, please enjoy this slideshow of images from UGA photographers Peter Frey…

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UGA ramps up data science and AI hiring initiative

The University of Georgia is expanding a strategic faculty hiring initiative aimed at attracting leading scholars in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. UGA initially planned to recruit 50 faculty members when it launched the Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in 2021. Now the university is expanding the initiative to include an additional 20…

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Fall Commencement 2022

The University of Georgia will welcome its newest alumni on Dec. 16 as 1,681 undergraduates and 1,521 graduate students—a total of 3,202— met requirements to participate in the university’s fall Commencement ceremonies on a crisp December day. Congratulations and welcome to the many family and friends on campus today! Well done, each and every one!  
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